SA businesses and cities join international climate alliance

Leading South African businesses and cities have signed up for a global initiative, Alliances for Climate Action.

South African businesses and cities have signed up for a new global initiative – Alliances for Climate Action – to push for accelerated climate action at home and abroad.

They are part of a global groundswell of businesses, cities, regions and civil society role players taking action in the face of climate change challenges and positioning themselves to lead in a low-carbon world.

The South African chapter was announced at a side event of the United Nations Secretary General’s Climate Summit in New York. The summit forms part of Climate Week NYC (from 23 to 29 September) which brings together players from across the world to accelerate climate action.

In South Africa, several businesses and cities have signed a climate declaration, committing to working hand-in-hand with the South African national government to accelerate implementation of its pledge to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The entities to have joined thus far are:

Vodacom

Virgin Active

The City of Cape Town

Ethekwini Municipality

Liberty Holdings Limited

Intelligent Transport Society South Africa

Pinpoint

MISER Hybrid Technologies RSA

Mellow Cabs – Electric vehicle manufacturers

SESSA - Sustainable Energy Society Southern Africa

The Thorny Bush Game Lodges

The Alliance for Climate Action South Africa will form part of a global network that aims to build domestic constituencies for climate action, working hand-in-hand with national governments to accelerate progress towards the Paris Agreement targets.

The first country level alliance was launched in Japan in 2018 followed by Mexico. Others to have joined include Argentina and Viet Nam. These alliances work collaboratively with the We Are Still In coalition in the United States to accelerate implementation of climate goals worldwide.

Dr Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF South Africa, said: “While national government has made climate change commitments, real action comes from those with the power to shift economies such as businesses and local authorities. Those who have agreed to join Alliances for Climate Action to work towards a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 lead by their actions and will inspire others to follow.”

Wesley Noble, head of Changing Business for Good at Virgin Active, commented: “Alliances for Climate Action is an important commitment from us at Virgin Active. We’re running out of time to reverse significant irreversible environmental damage on our planet. We’re proud to be working with other stakeholders and believe collaboration between the private sector, cities and national government is crucial to reducing our collective impact and restoring our natural environment for our future generations. We are committed to ensuring that all our health clubs across South Africa reach Net Zero emissions by 2030.”